From a dedicated team of directors to a passionate board, we have an experienced team of people who shape the plans and direction of our organisations. Our Board makes major decisions about our aims and how we can achieve this. It steers our senior leadership team who look after the day-to-day operation of the business and the delivery of our services.
Senior Leadership Team
Pam Mastrantonio
Chief Executive
Leads the Senior Leadership Team.
Pam has dedicated her career to the housing sector, bringing a wealth of experience across housing management, supported housing, asset management, and project delivery. Beginning her journey at Sunderland City Council, she has held roles across the UK – including the North East, Essex, and with major national providers -demonstrating her adaptability and commitment to improving housing services.
Most recently, Pam served on the executive team at Housing 21, where she played a key role in delivering high-quality housing, support, and care for older people. Her governance experience includes serving as a Board member for Leazes Homes and currently as a Board member and Chair of the Housing and Communities Committee at Livin Housing Association in County Durham.
Pam is deeply passionate about resident engagement, ensuring that resident voices shape services and that the right support is in place to help people sustain happy, secure tenancies. She is equally committed to investing in colleagues – creating a workplace where people feel valued, supported, and able to thrive.
She is a strong advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion, Pam champions accessible services that welcome everyone and allow individuals to be their authentic selves. She firmly believes that warm, affordable, and good-quality housing is a fundamental need and is dedicated to expanding the right housing provision, enhancing services, and supporting South Lakes Housing, its residents, and the wider community to flourish.
Pam Mastrantonio
Declarations of Interest
- Prior Board member of Livin Housing Association
- Chair of Housing and Communities Committee
Richard Morris
Director of Finance
Responsible for Finance.
Richard joined the Executive Team from within the organisation, where he has been the Head of Finance for the last 3 years providing key financial support to teams and senior leaders across the organisation.
Richard, a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants has extensive experience in high-level finance roles in the housing, construction and education sectors. Having previously held senior finance roles for Your Housing Group, Trafford Housing Trust, One Manchester and before joining SLH a Deputy Principal role in Further Education.
In his role as Finance Director, Richard is responsible for elevating the finance function at SLH through the effective use of technology, communication, processes and systems.
Richard Morris
Declarations of Interest
- Governor at Mysercough College
Richard Hayes
Director of Homes
Responsible for Repairs, Building Safety, Stock Condition, Planned Maintenance and Sustainability. Richard is the health and safety lead for tenant services.
Richard graduated in 1995 as a Quantity Surveyor and initially worked for Knowsley Design Consultancy in Liverpool. He was a member of the design team to deliver the Liverpool Football Club Academy in Kirby and new leisure centres in Halewood and Huyton, Liverpool. Through the consultancy he worked with Knowsley Housing Services during their stock transfer to Knowsley Housing Trust in 2002.
Richard moved to Sefton MBC and then latterly to One Vision Housing in Bootle where, as Head of Investment, he managed a multi-disciplinary team of Project Managers, Quantity Surveyors and Building Surveyors to successfully deliver a £200M property improvement programme within four years. Richard was a member of the management team when One Vision Housing won the 2012 Sunday Times Best 100 Companies Award.
In 2012 Richard moved to South Lakes Housing to take up the post of Assistant Director of Assets and Investment and was subsequently appointed Director of Assets & Investment in 2015. In his current post Richard is responsible for the successful delivery of SLHs Improvement Programme, construction related compliance and the Cumbria Housing and Property Services company.
John Mansergh
Director of Business Improvement
Responsible for business assurance functions, insurance, procurement, occupational health & safety, and communications & marketing. He is also Company Secretary for SLH.
John has been at South Lakes Housing since 2010, initially to manage the stock transfer programme and a range of business improvement projects. He also provides executive support to the Audit & Risk Committee.
John has over 20 years in managing performance and leading projects both within housing organisations and the adult social care sector. John has a 2:1 Honours Degree in Housing Studies and began his housing career as a Housing Officer before moving into corporate services roles.
John Mansergh
Declarations of Interest
- Governor at Kendal College
Niki Stockton
Director of Customer Experience
Responsible for housing and customer services, customer engagement, feedback and insight, neighbourhoods, allocations and income management. Niki has the responsibility for compliance with the consumer standards for our tenant services.
Niki joined SLH in 2022 from a northwest housing provider where she was the Executive Director of Operations. She is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and has 30 years’ experience in social housing, the last 15 years in senior Executive roles and Non-Executive Board Member roles. Niki is passionate about social justice and providing safe, affordable, quality homes and excellent customer services and recognises the positive role that social landlords can play in place making.
Niki is an experienced leader and has significant skills, knowledge, and experience across the breadth of housing services, including homelessness, improving homes and services, neighbourhood management, development and regeneration, asset management, mergers and stock transfers and has previous lived experience of social housing. She has worked for a local authority and small, regional, and large national social landlords. She also brings a wealth of experience in terms of strategic planning, governance and risk management and change management. She is currently Chair of the Board of another housing provider and has been on the Boards and Committees of several housing providers across Greater Manchester.
Niki is part of the Executive Leadership Team and oversees the development and delivery of an excellent customer experience at SLH and is leading our culture change programme, embedding our Customer First approach across the business and recalibrating our relationships, working with customers and communities to ensure that our customers’ experience and outcomes across the business are exceptional. She is also the executive lead for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion at SLH.
Niki Stockton
Declarations of Interest
- Chair of Irwell Valley Homes
Alison Ramsay
Head of People & Culture
I lead our People & Culture team, with responsibility for recruitment, learning and development, performance, and fostering an inclusive environment where colleagues feel supported to grow and succeed.
My career began in Scotland as a teacher and lecturer, before moving into learning and development and later HR leadership across a range of sectors—including manufacturing, oil and gas, brewing, retail, and social housing. I’ve always found the greatest reward in seeing people I’ve mentored take on new challenges and surpass their own expectations.
I believe in clear communication, practical learning, and treating everyone with fairness and respect. Integrity, kindness and collaboration are the values that guide my work.
I’m passionate about the role social housing plays in strengthening communities—providing safe, affordable homes and helping residents thrive. I also serve on the Scrutiny Panel for Cumbria Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Service, contributing to local accountability and improvement.
Based in our Kendal office on the edge of the Lake District National Park, I start most mornings with a walk along the River Kent before heading into work. The energy and commitment my colleagues bring make it a genuinely rewarding place to be.
Stephen Roe
Head of Business Transformation
Stephen is an experienced senior leader and housing management professional, with a career to-date focused within housing management, customer experience, and business improvements. Beginning his journey in Newcastle, Stephen secured a housing management degree and gained his professional qualifications prior to starting his career at South Lakes Housing (SLH). He has held several roles at SLH and brings a wealth of experience and local knowledge to our organisation.
Stephen is passionate about SLH being an inclusive and community-focused organisation where both our residents and colleagues benefit from us delivering high-quality services. His current focus, leading business transformation, requires Stephen to work across the business with a lead role across project delivery, performance improvements, and change management.
With coaching experience, Stephen prides himself on being a supportive leader and is a strong advocate for an inclusive and collaborative working environment. By doing so he firmly believes that SLH can better deliver quality services to our residents and their homes.
Alongside his role at SLH, Stephen volunteers as Chairman and a team manager of a local grassroots football club. The club supports over 200 children within our community to access affordable and inclusive football.
Tony Cox
Head of Financial Planning & Treasury
Tony has over 10 years of experience within the social housing sector. Strengthening financial resilience by applying a pragmatic approach and commitment to community impact. He is qualified Chartered Accountant, with a background in audit, bringing both technical and strategic vision to the evolving challenges of housing finance.
At South Lakes Housing, Tony oversees the financial planning, reporting and compliance functions ensuring robust stewardship of funds while enabling sustainable growth. He has supported the delivery of hundreds of new homes, the continued investment in existing homes and enhanced value for money across the organisation.
Tony is passionate about aligning financial performance with social purpose to ensure that we provide quality homes and services that make a real difference to our residents.
Outside of work, Tony is married with one child and is a Blackburn Rovers season ticket holder.
Sean Ellam
Head of Neigbourhoods
Sean Ellam is the Head of Neighbourhoods here at SLH with responsibility for the Neighbourhoods team, the Lettings and Voids Team and the Independence Service which is our offer to older residents across each of our our Independence Schemes.
Sean’s teams are very much focused on the journey our residents experience from their initial application for housing through to leaving their tenancies and everything in between from viewing potential properties and signing residents up for their new homes to managing Anti Social Behaviour reports and supporting customers in their home with any concerns they may have.
With over 20 years in Housing, Sean has worked his way through the ranks since starting his career in housing with a focus on customer facing services, tenancy and neighbourhood management.
Working predominantly in the North-West with a focus on Greater Manchester before joining SLH, Sean is a huge advocate of customer focused services and believes that proactive partnerships are key to the delivery of great neighbourhoods.
As a part of his role Sean also sits on the Cumbria Choice Based Lettings partnership board as the Deputy Chair, working with the Cumbrian Local Authorities and other RP’s to ensure our approach to choice based lettings is accessible to everyone. As well as this Sean sits on other partnerships acting as a lead for Housing in the Community Safety Partnership and Community Cohesion Partnerships which take a multi-agency approach to delivering the joint aims of the partnership and ensuring our residents can live in safe and thriving communities.
Away from the office Sean loves spending time with his family, watching sports, playing golf, reading and travelling and he also loves listening to podcasts.
David Foxcroft
Head of Customer Experience
Leads the Income, Customer Contact, Engagement and Insights Team.
David has a background in retail management before joining the housing sector in 2023. He is passionate about delivering a fantastic experience of services which matter and make a difference for people. As a former Councillor he saw first hand the difference a safe, warm and quality home could make for people, and this was a key reason for his decision to join the sector.
As an adoptive parent and foster carer he is committed to helping give young people the best possible start in life. He has deep commitment to ensuring that diverse views are included and shape decision making.
Alongside his role at South Lakes Housing he also a committee member at Plus Dane Housing and a Board Associate at Together Housing.
Martha Shields
Head of Development
Martha is Head of Development at South Lakes Housing, where she leads the organisation’s development and sales programme, delivering much needed new affordable homes across our communities.
A registered architect with a background in development, Martha brings experience in designing and delivering creative, complex housing, regeneration, and community-led projects across both the private and social housing sectors.
She is a passionate advocate for social housing and is committed to creating high-quality, sustainable homes that have a lasting positive impact for customers and communities. Through her collaborative approach, Martha works closely with partners, stakeholders, and residents to ensure developments reflect local needs and aspirations.
In addition to her role at South Lakes Housing, Martha serves as a Board member and sits on the Development and Investment Committee for Thirteen Group in the Northeast.
Paul Smith
Head of Property Services
Paul is a seasoned Property Services and Compliance leader with over four decades of experience in the housing and utilities sectors. Currently serving as the Head of Property Services at South Lakes Housing, Paul oversees the delivery of the repairs and maintenance service and major investment delivery.
A significant aspect of Paul’s role includes managing an internal workforce alongside sub-contractors, where he leads a team dedicated to delivering high-quality and responsive repairs, voids, and planned works. His hands-on leadership ensures that both the internal workforce and sub-contractors operate efficiently, with a strong focus on productivity, customer satisfaction, and cost control.
Paul’s career spans senior roles at The Guinness Partnership, Places for People, and Progress Housing Group, where he led national teams and managed compliance across tens of thousands of properties. His expertise includes Property Services management, fire and electrical safety, asbestos management, legionella control, and lift maintenance. He has a proven track record in contract management, procurement, and performance improvement, having delivered savings and service enhancements.
A qualified engineer with a First-Class Honours degree in Building Services Engineering, Paul combines technical depth with strategic leadership. He is highly experienced in stakeholder engagement, change management, and IT systems implementation, including mobile working solutions and compliance databases. His dedication to safety, operational efficiency, and innovation has defined his impact within the sector.
Liz Burghall
Head of Assets and Building Safety
Liz Burghall is a highly experienced social housing professional with nearly three decades of expertise in asset management and building safety. As the current Head of Assets and Building Safety at South Lakes Housing, Liz leads on strategic asset management, compliance, and the delivery of safe, high-quality homes for our residents.
Previously, Liz served as Head of Assets & Compliance at Cobalt Housing in Liverpool, where she oversaw the management of a 6,000-home portfolio and delivered over £110 million in capital investment. Her leadership was instrumental in developing and implementing Cobalt’s Asset Management Strategy, securing significant funding for energy efficiency improvements, and driving continuous improvement across compliance, planned maintenance, and sustainability.
Liz is recognised for her ability to manage multi-million-pound budgets, lead large teams, and deliver complex procurement projects and capital investment programmes. She is committed to regulatory compliance and customer safety, demonstrated through her work on policies such as damp and mould management and her proactive approach to stock condition surveying and business planning.
With a BA in Housing Studies Liz brings a wealth of knowledge and a collaborative, customer-focused approach to her role. She is passionate about making a positive difference in people’s lives investing in quality homes, making an impact to the communities we serve whilst also listening and engaging with residents to shape the future of asset management and building safety.
